Conventional integrated circuit designs typically use amplification structures with inductive source degeneration to provide 50 ohm inputs. The associated on-chip inductors can be large, area-inefficient, and contribute to resonant-tuning at the input. Narrow bandwidth, along with a reduced number of potential applications, may result.
Other disadvantages arise when input matching networks with discrete inductors or microstrip lines are used, especially when implemented off-chip to minimize losses and associated noise. Discrete large-valued inductors may have low self-resonant frequencies, sensitizing the design to manufacturing variations. Microstrip matching typically makes use of traces connecting to 50 ohm interfaces, narrowing design choices and rendering the accommodation of other design trade-offs more difficult.
Finally, conventional apparatus often use wire bonds or C4 bumps to connect chips to a package or a board trace. The added reactance often renders the final design (and associated yield) particularly sensitive to manufacturing-induced variations.